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Websleuths News

Join Websleuths Radio for the final discussion of THE KILLING SEASON
with Josh Zemam, Rachel Mills and special guests including Bob Kolker author of Lost Girls

Police reportedly responded to the apartment at about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. Ypsilanti police were still investigating at the scene about 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, EMU spokesman Walter Kraft said in a statement emailed to the campus community. EMU police are working closely with Ypsilanti police on the investigation, he said.

"The Ypsilanti Police Department has just informed us that the off-campus death of the female student reported overnight is being investigated as an apparent homicide," says a notice to students at 8:26 a.m. today. "The cause of death has not been determined. No information on a possible suspect has been determined."

Ypsilanti — An Eastern Michigan University student found dead in her off-campus apartment has been identified as 23-year-old Julia Catherine Niswender.

Ypsilanti police said Niswender's death is being investigated as a homicide.

The cause of death has not been determined. No information on possible suspects is being released.

The incident, which occurred at the Peninsular Place Apartments in the 1000 block of Huron River Drive, is being handled by the Ypsilanti Police Department while working in conjunction with the EMU Police Department...

The family of Eastern Michigan University student and Monroe resident Julia Niswender, who was found dead in her Ypsilanti apartment in what police are calling a homicide, is devastated at the loss and waiting for answers.

#Family friend Jacob McLaughlin, who graduated with Julia and her twin sister Jennifer from Monroe High School in 2008, said Ypsilanti police have not released any details so far.

The Peninsular Place apartments were quiet Wednesday morning, with a few EMU students making their way to class down Leforge Road toward campus, peering at the TV news truck parked in the entryway of the complex.

Neighbors living in the same section of the complex as Niswender declined to speak to AnnArbor.com when they answered their doors Wednesday morning.

Nikki Jackson lives in an apartment near the block of apartments where Niswender died Tuesday. Jackson said she returned home at 8 p.m. and nothing was out of the ordinary. About 9:30 p.m., there were suddenly police cars outside her window.

Jackson said she didn’t go near the area of Niswender’s apartment because police had the area blocked off.

“They weren’t letting people in that section and the people who parked there had to walk around so they wouldn’t come close to the area,” she said.

Jackson said a van came, seemingly from the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office Wednesday. Two amublances from the Huron Valley Ambulance service were sent to the scene as well, spokeswoman Joyce Williams said. However, Niswender was pronounced dead at the scene upon their arrival.

EMU professor Megan Gore said Niswender was one of her "favorite" students. Niswender was studying communications at EMU. She's a 2008 graduate of Monroe High School and attended Monroe Community College.

"She was passionate about her studies in electronic media," Gore said. "She strove to do her best no matter what the assignment was. Several weeks ago she took a trip to New York with our electronic media program and was so excited to share with me her experiences."

Gore said Niswender often shared her career aspirations.

"She always had a smile on her face and loved to laugh in class, making the classroom environment very special for everyone," Gore said. "I am devastated by her loss as I know her classmates are as well."

EMU student Adrienne Ayers was in an audio production class with Niswender that was taught by Gore.

“We worked together on an audio project for class and she was in my group,” Ayers said. “Every time I came to class Julia was always happy and she was always nice to me. She was funny and always made me laugh. Her personality was the kind that would make you want to be friends with her.”I never saw Julia upset or anything and she was a true sweetheart."

Eastern Michigan University officials will hold a campus safety forum at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Student Center Auditorium after the death of Julia Niswender Tuesday.

EMU spokesman Walter Kraft said the meeting is another part of the university’s efforts to keep the community up to date on Niswender’s death. The Ypsilanti Police Department said Niswender was found dead of an apparent homicide in her Peninsular Place apartment Tuesday night.

Kraft emphasized the university would only be able to release information approved by Ypsilanti police investigators. University officials have set up a dedicated web page to provide updates on Niswender's death.

EMU Police Chief Bob Heighes and university President Susan Martin are expected to address the community at the forum. Kraft said they will be going over safety tips for students and other university community members to make sure everyone takes proper precautions.

“This is an important reminder at a time like this that there are things students and faculty members can do to protect themselves,” he said.

The public statements from the university and meeting with students are a marked contrast from the way the university handled an investigation into the death of student Laura Dickinson almost exactly six years ago.

The public statements from the university and meeting with students are a marked contrast from the way the university handled an investigation into the death of student Laura Dickinson almost exactly six years ago.

Dickinson’s body was discovered in her dorm room in December 2006 nude from the waist down, with evidence of a sexual assault. Despite that, officials did not warn EMU students that Dickinson was murdered until they arrested Orange Taylor III for the crime two months later. Taylor was eventually convicted of the crime.

The failure to inform students was a violation of the federal Cleary Act. The federal government issued a $350,000 fine against the university. Three top administrators, including university President John Fallon and Public Safety Director Cindy Hall, lost their jobs in the ensuing fallout.

Our understanding is that police were called to Julia's apartment after a suitemate reported not having seen her for several days. The Ypsilanti Police Department is continuing to investigate the case. The EMU Police Department is working closely with Ypsilanti Police and we will report additional information as we obtain it, and as events may warrant.

https://twitter.com/kfeldscheraacom
(paraphrasing)
A reporter from annarbor.com states via twitter that Det. Eberts confirms that she was found in her bedroom, she had two suitemates one of which called police after she hadn't been seen for days